The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for basting food on a rotisserie in a continuous manner.
Rotisserie cooking using spits or skewers has become an increasingly popular means to cook food, particularly meat products. An advantage to rotisserie cooking is that the fat drips off of the food being cooked. In most methods of cooking, the food remains in the same container as its drippings while being prepared. In addition to being a healthy method of preparing food, rotisserie cooking results in evenly cooked food.
Presently, there exist a number of rotisserie cooking devices. These devices commonly include a grill powered by gas or heat-radiating elements, a spit, and means for rotating such as a motor. One problem encountered in these devices is the location of the heating element in relation to the food being cooked. In some rotisserie arrangements, the spit of the rotisserie is located directly above the heating element. Consequently, the drippings from such arrangement fall onto the heating element causing smoke or flames. To avoid this problem, the heating element can be been relocated to the side with relation to the rotisserie.
An additional problem encountered in rotisserie arrangements is that the food being prepared must be manually basted to avoid the food from becoming dry and bland. Although most of the arrangements provide basting pans in close proximity to the food, these arrangements all rely on the evaporation of the basting fluid onto the food and on the occasional manual basting to provide moisture and flavor to the food. Both of these methods of basting, evaporation and manual basting, require a large quantity of basting fluid to effectively flavor and moisturize the food. Furthermore, in order to optimize the tenderness and flavor of the food, one must exert substantial time and energy to ensure the food remains moist.
There is presently a need for a rotisserie apparatus and method of cooking that will most efficiently and conveniently enable the continuous basting of the food being cooked.
According to its major aspects and briefly described, the present invention is a basting apparatus and method of cooking for obtaining an evenly cooked, juicy, and flavorful food product.
The basting apparatus of the present invention generally includes a rack, a basting pan or container, a grill, and a rotisserie having a spit and means for rotating. The rack is placed on a surface at the base of the grill and is used to elevate the basting pan so that when it is filled with basting fluid the surface of the basting fluid comes in contact with the food on the rotisserie. The rack is adjustable in both width and height for use with various sized grills and pans. The heating element of the grill is located to the side of the rotisserie and basting pan to avoid the dripping of the basting fluid from coming into contact with the heating element.
The method of cooking of the present invention involves a number of steps. First, the food to be cooked must be threaded onto the spit of the rotisserie and is placed above the surface of the grill. Next the rack is placed on the surface of the grill and is adjusted to fit the dimensions of both the grill and the basting pan which it supports. The basting pan is then elevated to a level in which the basting fluid contained therein engages the food on the rotisserie.
The rack is an important feature of the present invention. The rack allows the basting pan to be brought into engagement with the food product on the spit, regardless of the size of the food or its distance from the surface of the grill, so that the food product is continuously basted while rotating on the spit. This feature optimizes the convenience of cooking with a rotisserie.
Another important feature of the present invention is the combination of the rack and the pan. The rack and the pan cooperate so that the rotating food product can be in contact with the surface of the basting juices. The rack allows a variety of pan sizes to be used.
Still another feature of the present invention is the direct contact of the basting juices with the cooking food product. The direct contact results in a greater concentration of the basting juices coming into contact with the food product than is available with the prior art evaporation method.
Yet another feature of the present invention is the location of the heating element of the grill. The heating element is located to the side of the rotisserie, which avoids the basting juices and grease from falling directly onto it potentially causing smoke or flames.
Other features and their advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of rotisserie cooking from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment accompanied by the following drawings.